JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As bad as the COVID-19 surge is right now, the Mayo Clinic predicts the caseload will double in Florida and increase by 85% in the next two weeks.
The Mayo Clinic COVID-19 tracker predicts where cases could go in the next 14 days.
“It is concerning because you’re seeing the number of transmissions we’re going to see or the cases go up pretty dramatically. It’s already very high," Dr. Mohammed Reza said.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Mohammed Reza is referring to the grim forecast from the COVID-19 predictor.
“What they’re looking at is transmission per 100,000 Floridians per day," Reza said. "They’re showing it per county broken down by county."
The predictor shows Georgia's map should turn more red and orange over the next 14 days.
In Florida, all of the state is expected to be in red and black colors within two weeks, which indicates a very high transmission rate. Northeast Florida is the worst in the state.
“We are the case study for what happens in a major metro market with large numbers of unvaccinated and the most contagious variant we have encountered despite access to some of the best medical care in the country," Dr. Chirag Patel said.
Dr. Chirag Patel is the assistant chief medical officer at UF Health Jacksonville and said the predictions don't have to become a reality. He said it's in our control if people get vaccinated.
“The delta variant does not care how old you are or what medical problems you have if any," Patel said. "Delta does discriminate, and if you’re unvaccinated, you are at an exponentially higher risk of hospitalization and death than those who are vaccinated.”
“This is giving a little bit of a glimpse into the future, but that doesn’t have to be out future is what I’m saying right now," Reza said. We can make some changes today.”
Reza also added people should get vaccinated now before the expected surge happens on the First Coast because full immunity doesn't happen until two weeks after the second dose.
The doctors say people should also begin routinely wearing masks in addition to getting vaccinated.